Markers



R. J. SLAVSKY Feb. 2, 1960 MARKERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 31, 1958 INVENTOR.

ROBERT J. SLAVSKY BY eumwgm ATTORNEYS R. J. SLAVSKY Feb. 2, 1960 MARKERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 31, 1958 E ii INVENTOR.

ROBERT J. SLAVSKY Qumg-Qm?) ATTORNEYS Feb. 2, 1960 Filed March 31, 1958 R. J. SLAVSKY MARKERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 4| uvmvrox ROBERT J. SLAVSKY @ulbvu Q it ATTORNEYS Uite 1 MARKERS Robert J. Slavsky, Detroit, Mich assignor to Shaw & Slavsky, lino, Detroit, Mich.

Application March 31, 1958, Serial No. 724,940

1 Claim. (Cl. 40-10)" This application relates to markers, particularly useful in retail establishments, such as supermarkets, where shelves and cabinets are arrangedv in aisles up and down which shoppers walk with their shopping carts. The marker hereof is adapted to be mounted on the edge of a shelf oron a part of a cabinet, and, particularly where mounted on a shelf, will project into the aisleway a very short distance so as to be visible for indication purposes, with visibility enhanced because the marker is so arranged that the opposite indicating surfaces of the marker are transverse to the edges of the shelves and thus face the walking shoppers in two directions.

A particular object of the present invention is to provide a marker which is inexpensive and easy to equip with a variety of indicia thereon and at the same time which is easy to mount on shelves and cabinets, particularly where the latter are, as is conventionally the case, 7

equipped with shelf moldings andcabinet moldings.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a marker which is so constructed that it cannot possibly injure any person who might accidently bump against the marker which projects out from the shelf into the aisleway.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a marker which is so constructed that the indicia bearing part of the marker is mounted on the end of a springy wire whose other end is mounted on the shelf edge with the result that if, by any chance, the marker is touched or bumped, there will result not only no injury tothe person touching or bumping the marker, and likewise no injury or possible displacement of the marker from the shelf or of the indicia from the marker as a Whole, but also there will result the peculiar advantage that the marker will vibrate and thus attract attention to itself which, of course, is a desirable result.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a unitary marker which can be manufactured in quantities and distributed as unitary markers to retail stores and which are formed for receiving a large variety of inserts in the form of indicia such as numerals, letters, words, arrows, etc.

Further objects of the present invention will readily be understood upon reference to the appended drawings showing the marker of the invention in a variety of forms and uses.

In these drawings;

Fig. is an elevation view of the marker per se;

Fig.2 is a left end view as if in the direction of the arrow 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view as if in the direction of the arrow 3' of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a small scale view showing the marker in place one meat cabinet;

Fig.5 is a similar view showing themarker in place on a shelf;

Fig. 6 is a view like Fig. l, but showing the marker in place in a typical shelf edge molding;

Fig. 7 is a view as if from the right of Fig. 6 on arrow 7;

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Fig. 8 is a view showing the marker in place in a wide multiple stripe molding of the type which is commonly found in meat cabinets, with the marker equipped with inserts in the form of price numerals;

Fig. 9 is a small scale view showing the marker per so, with an insert in the form of a large arrow;

Fig. 10 is a view like Fig. 9 but showing the insert in.

the form of a small plate bearing a commodity name.

Figs. 11-13, enlarged illustrations of the wire spring grip portion of the marker, show the three successive steps in securing the marker to a shelf molding.

Figs. 14 and 15, views similar to Figs. 1113, show the same grip portion inserted in a wide shelf molding and a narrow shelf molding respectively.

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed that Figs. 1 and 2 and 3 show a marker comprising a panel 10 of about 4" X 5" size formed of two sheets 11 and 12 arranged face to face and secured to each other by suitable means such as rivets 13 and 14. The sheets 11 may be of a hardsmooth finish plastic material such as Celluloid with a substantial amount of rigidity and a limited amount of flexibility, sufficient to provide a slight space between the sheets despite that they are fastened to each other by the rivets. Disposed between the sheets and secured to them by the rivets 14, in a manner disclosed in .a prior patent of Slavsky 2,142,085 of January 3, 1939, whose disclosure is incorporated into this application by reference, is the sinuously bent end 15 of a springy wire 16 which provides a support for the marker as a whole.

The wire 16, which in the preferred form is about four inches long has its opposite end bent to form a spring, grip 17, with several bends as shown best in Fig. 2, to define parallel portions 18, 19 and a reverse bend 20. All these bends are in the same plane which is transverse to the plane of the panellti, and all these bends are for the purposes of enabling the wire end 17 to be manually compressed out of its normal shape shown in Fig. 2, and to return by expansion automatically to such normal shape after being compressed with the part 18 moving towards the part 19 during compression.

Each sheet 11, and thus the panel as a whole, has two parallel rows of slits 30 and also another group of slits 31 for receiving portions of inserts in the form of a variety of indicia. These inserts may be of the type shown in a prior patent of Slavsky 2,140,033 of December 13, 1938, which shows a plurality of numeral inserts, a conjunctive word insert and a commodity label with the inserts all having tongues adapted to be received in sockets of a panel to form an interchangeable sign. The same expedient is employed here except that the slits 30 and 31 which receive the tongues or other portions of inserts are arranged in a unique manner as shown, and as will now be described, particularly with reference to some of the other figures of the drawings. Thus, the inserts 39, arranged in two rows as shown in Fig. 8, receive tongues of price numerals 34 and a conjunctive word plate 35.

In another instance, the inserts 31 are used as shown in Fig. 9 for receiving portions of the edge of a large single insert 36 in the form of an arrow.

7 In still another instance as shown in Fig. 10 the slits 30 are used for receiving a single large commodity name plate 37.

Because both sheets 11 of the marker panel are equipped alike with duplicate slits 30 and 31, and b cause there is normally a slight space between the two sheets of the marker panel, a large degree of flexibility of interchange of inserts is available. Thus, it is possible to use an arrow 36 on one side of the panel and a commodity name plate 37 on the opposite side; or price numerals 34 and words 35 may be used on one side with either an arrow 36 or a commodity name plate 37 on the opposite side, etc., all Within the skill of the merchandiser and with the interchangeability made available to him by the fact that the inarker panel is of two identical sheets and has on each sheet two separategroups of identical slits 30 and 31. I

The marker is designed particularly for use with shelves and meat cabinets or the like, and these are norzontally extending vertically spaced ribs, a pair of which may be utilized for supporting the marker hereof as will now be described.

' When the marker is to be used with a molding, whether it be the narrow shelf molding shown in Figs. 6 and 7 and Fig. 2, or the wider cabinet molding shown in Fig. 8, use is made of the ribs of the molding. Thus, Fig. 6 shows a shelf 38 having a molding 40 of narrow shelf form with ribs 41 and Fig. 8 shows a cabinet part 43 having wide cabinet molding 44 with ribs 45. In either case, the marker is inserted by finger compression of the springy end 17, as will be described with reference. to Figs. 11 to 13. 7

As shown in Fig. 11, the spring grip part 19 is inserted behind the lower rib 41 of the molding 40. Thereafter, manual pressure is exerted upon the spring grip portion located between part 18 and return bend 20, as shown by arrow 47 in Fig. 12, to squeeze part 18 below the upper rib 41. Next, the manual pressure along arrow 47 is released and the spring grip will automatically expand, with part 18 slipping behind upper rib 41, as shown in Fig. 13, to automatically interlock the portions 18 and 19 with the molding and mounting the marker in the manner disclosed so that the panel is perpendicular to the molding. Note that the panel is normally perpendicular to the plane of the Wire end 17 received in the molding.

This sort of mounting is sturdy and safe in that it prevents accidental removal and dislodging of the marker from the molding. At the same time, it is a simple matter without the aid of tools to remove the marker from a molding when desired and this is done simply by finger compression of the wire end 17 along arrow 47 (see Fig. 12) sufiicient to release part 18 from the molding and particularly from the groove behind one of its ribs, whereupon the marker as a whole may be removed easily from the molding.

The spring grip end 17 is adapted to be fitted into all the different size shelf moldings which may be encountered in markets. Thus, in Fig. 14, where a wide molding 48 is shown, the parts 18 and 19 are initially spread apart a distance slightly greater than the width of the molding and remain at such spacing due to bending beyond the elastic limit of the wire. Then, the parts 18 and 19 are inserted and resiliently held in the molding in the manner discussed above in connection with Figs. 11 to 13. 7

Conversely, where a narrow molding 49 is to be used, as shown in Fig. 15, the parts 18 and 19 are simply squeezed together to fit within the ribs of such molding.

It will be observed that the normal position of use of the marker is such that the panel 10 projects a matter of five inches or so from the molding and from the edge of the shelf or cabinet which mounts it, and in the case of a shelf mounting, where the space between the shelves forms a walking aisle, the marker projects into the walking aisle only a few inches or so, a position calculated to attract maximum attention to the marker with minimum interference. In the event the marker is accidently bumped, as by a shopper, no harm will occur either to the shopper or to the marker itself because of its construction, and particularly because of the springiness of its mounting. On the other'hand, an accidental or even intentional bumping of the marker from time to time will cause the marker to vibrate on its springy mounting and thus increase its power of attracting attention.

It will also be observed that the marker is extremely simple and inexpensive of manufacture comprising simply three parts, two Celluloid or other plastic sheets and a short piece of springy wire, and that simply by riveting or stapling the sheets together and to the sinuously bent end 15 of the wire by the rivets 13 and 14, the assembly of the marker as a whole is completed.

It will also be observed that if and as desired the position of the plane of the bent ends 17 of the wire support may be varied with respect to the panel for varying the positions of the panel with respect to the molding in which the bent end 17 is inserted for mounting the marker. Such variation may be made by bending the wire at any point thereof either at the time of manufacture or as desired by a user. In the drawings, Fig. 8 shows the panel in one relation to the end 17 whereas Fig. 6 shows the panel in a different relation to the end 17. In all cases, however, the panel will be at right angles to the plane of the end 17, and thus at right angles to the edge of the shelf mounting the marker. Now having described the marker herein disclosed, reference should be had to the claim which follows.

I claim:

A marker comprising a panel normally arranged in a vertical plane and formed of two, substantially iden-. tical, fiat, equal size, relatively rigid, thin sheets arranged in face to face contact and means permanently connecting the two sheets together at spaced points near the peripheries of the two sheets, said means including three rivets arranged near one edge of the panel for securing the sheets together, said rivets being spaced a short distance from said edge and each rivet having a shaft portion passing transversely through both sheets and each having a rivet head on the opposite end of its shaft portion arranged on and in contact with the opposite exposed faces of each of the two sheets, the rivets being arranged in a triangular pattern with each rivet forming one corner of the triangle, and a springy wire support comprising a long, springy wire body part arranged in the plane of the panel and terminating in a sinuous securing bend portion also arranged in the plane of the panel, the sinuous bend being fitted between the two sheets and being bent around and in contact with eachof the outside corners of the triangle, that is, the portions of each rivet shaft portion which form the outside comers of the triangle and also passing between each pair of rivets, and the rivet shaft portions each being of a length such that the two adjacent faces of the two sheets are pressed tightly against opposite sides of the wire securing bend portion for rigidly and nonmovably squeezing the wire between the two sheets and thus, rigidly connecting the panel to the wire support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,180,141 Green Apr. 18, 1916 1,718,315 Slosser June 25, 1929 1,842,743 Brackett Jan. 26, 1932 1,913,385 Hamilton June 13, 1933 2,130,945 Brownell Sept. 20, 1938 2,142,085 Shaw Jan. 3, 1939 2,176,713 Hendrix Oct. 19, 1939 2,342,542 Hooter Feb. 22, 1944 2,637,325 McCabe May 5, 1958 2,850,820 Lersch Sept. 9, 1958 

